ThIrTeEn QuEeNs
by LadyFanuilh
Summary: The King of Hearts strikes L.A.! Van & Deaq must chase after the King of Hearts before he kills his 13th Queen. author falls dead laughing at the summary. hope y'all liked that!
1. Prelude

Just a note, this is to give y'all an idea of what the case our favorite team are gonna be working on. Van, Billie & Deaq will be in the rest of the chapters.

Disclaimer: Not behind Fastlane & anything connected to it, if we were, Van& all the sexy guyswould take their shirts off more often!

* * *

PrEludE

They're gathered in circles

The lamps light their faces

The crescent moon rocks in the sky

The poets of drumming

Keep heartbeats suspended

The smoke swirls up and then dies

Would you like my mask?

Would you like my mirror?

Cries the man in the shadowing hood

You can look at yourself

You can look at each other

Or you can look at the face, the face of your god

Loreena McKennitt -'Marrakesh Night Market'

* * *

Soft romantic music played from another room as a young woman stood looking at her self in the bathroom, the shattered remains of a wineglass still dripping with red wine lay broken in the sink. Tears have caused her mascara to run down her face in black streaks over her blotchy cheeks, but she had stopped crying at that point, just stared at her refection numbly.

She was dressed to kill in a low cut black dress and sinful red lips but she had no where to go anymore, no one to woo and be wooed. In the dimly lit living room, there was another wineglass waiting to be filled by a half empty wine bottle and rose petals tossed carelessly over the couches and floor. A shadow moved across the table and blew out the candles that lined a table with crimson petals.

"What is wrong with me?" She murmured to herself and bowed her head down. The shadow appeared behind her and stood there, staring at her refection. Nothing could be seen of his face; it was hidden behind a mask that was divided down the middle, one side white and the other black.

She sighed and turned on the water and splashed some of it on her face and looked back up into the mirror. She saw her own face first, and then the shadow moved and caught her attention. She whirled around, screaming but he quickly grabbed her and covered her mouth, shoving her back against the sink and curving her backwards.

"_Hello my dear." _He hoarsely whispered in her ear as he held her tightly against himself. _"You shouldn't be alone after such a heartbreaking experience."_ She trembled, her eyes wide with fear as he pulled back to look her in the eyes. She jerked as he ran a hand down the side of her face.

"_Just say the word and I'll make the pain go away."_

"Oh please!"

* * *

_"Today, the police have discovered the body of Samantha Reed in her apartment..."_ The newscaster's voice spoke from the TV as a young woman rushed by it into the bedroom half dressed.

"Oh!" she cried out when she tripped over the clothes that she had tossed all over her room and fell to the bed. "Damn it!" She swore as she saw that one of the straps on her shoes had broken. She kicked off the stilettos she was wearing and dove into her closet for a different pair and shoved her arms through the straps of her dress and pulled it up. With a quick smooth down of her skirt, she sat down in front of her vanity mirror, fluffed up her short blonde bob and quickly, but carefully applied her makeup.

"Ha ha, you look so silly!" Another woman crossed her arms; she was the complete opposite of the woman primping, she had messy, almost frizzy black hair and dressed in an old tee and torn jeans.

"Don't whine at me, Roxie, when I have a good time tonight and you sit in front of the TV moaning about how you hadn't had a good romp!" She tossed back over her shoulder as she picked up an eyeliner pencil. Roxie just laughed and tossed herself onto her roommate's bed and crossed her ankles as she propped her chin on a hand.

"I love watching you get ready, it's like a sitcom with you!" Roxie teased. "But there is that sense of anticipation that is so exciting."

"It's called 'sex', Honey; you've might've heard of it." She bantered back and stood up with a quick twirl. "How do I look?"

"Lena, you look like a dream. If he doesn't look completely in_ lust_ with you, drop 'im!" Roxie said, slashing her hand downward with emphasis of her last words with a crooked smile.

"Cute, don't stay up for me, I just might not make it back before the sun!" Lena said with a wave as she picked up a small matching purse and her cell and dashed out the door. Roxie smiled as she rolled over on her back and crossed her arms behind her head, staring up at the pictures that Lena had put up all over the ceiling.

Somebody knocked at the door to their apartment the next morning, as Roxie was still in her pajamas cooking pancakes in the kitchen. She looked up and grinned, she was a little surprised that Lena was knocking, but it was nothing new, she tend to forget her keys now and then. But she was surprised that she was back so soon, she hadn't expected to see her until the afternoon. There must be trouble in paradise.

There was music playing in the background as she quickly flipped the pancake over and walked to the door, brushing her hands off on her jockey shorts, dancing for a moment when her favorite part of the song came on, and singing along with it.

"I'm coming!" She called out as somebody knocked again. "Geeze, don't get your kickers in a twist!" She said with a wry grin as she undid the deadbolt and unlocked the door. She pulled it open with a flourish and leaned against the jam before she noticed that it wasn't her roommate standing there.

"Oh!" she jumped and slammed the door shut and leaned against it panting, pulse racing. "Shit! They must they think I'm a complete fool!" She lamented as she looked down at herself and realized that she was still in her pajamas too. "Shit!" She grabbed a blanket that was draped over a chair and wrapped it around her before opening the door again cautiously.

"Sorry, I thought you guys were my roomie, can I help you?" She asked peering at them from behind the door. There were two cops standing there, one a man and the other a woman. They looked at each other briefly before the woman stepped forward.

"Do you mind if we come in? We need to talk to you about Lena Holmes." She asked, her face was remorseful at what she knew what she was going to have to say.

"Wha-what about L-lena?" Roxie's voice wavered and she stepped back away from the door. "Please tell me she's just beaten up or something."

"I'm sorry." The male cop said, fingering his hat. "We found her this morning in an alley not far from a popular club."

"No!" she wailed and her knees became weak, the female cop moved forward quickly and caught her and carefully helped her settle down on the ground. She pulled the blanket more tightly around her shoulders and nodded towards the kitchen. Her partner nodded back and went to turn off the burner where the pancake was starting to smoke. He didn't bother turning around, just stood there listening to the sobs.

"No, please... Oh, please not Lena. LENA!"

That night, Roxie was still in her pajamas from the morning and she was sitting on her couch wrapped up in a soft blanket as she stared at the TV. There was a cloud of Kleenexes all over the floor and couch and a couple of empty boxes. Nothing on TV was registering to her numbed mind; she was deep inside of herself thinking about the times she spent with Lena.

"Oh!" She wailed suddenly and threw the box at the TV where it bounced off harmlessly. She grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels furiously until a picture of her late roommate caught her attention.

"Wait! What was that?" She complained to the newscaster as he moved onto a new subject. "You bastard, tell me what you said about my friend!" She pointed the remote and started hitting the button again until she threw the remote at the wall in a rage. She started crying again, she knew that Lena had been murdered, but she never thought about why or how until she saw that.

"Oh, what happened to you, Lena?" She asked brokenly and stood up and turned around. She slowly made her way to Lena's room, but hesitated before the door. A trembling hand rose up and she grasped the doorknob and opened it. She sobbed, but still pressed on into the room until she was standing in the middle of the room.

"Why'd you leave me alone? You promised that we'll become those old biddies who just sit around and talk about our husbands and neighborhood." She asked into the quiet room. "Why'd you die?"

_"Lena died of a broken heart, my dear."_ A hoarse whisper just besides her ear made her jerk and she twisted around, falling backwards. Strong hands grabbed her arms and a large body shoved against her, pushing her further off balance and they fell together onto Lena's bed. She stared in horror at the mask and the dark eyes that stared into her own just several inches away as he pinned her down.

"Wha-what do you want from me?" She asked her breathing fast and panicky, twisting her arms but couldn't escape his iron grasp.

_"Nothing from you." _He whispered to her, and trailed a gloved finger down the side of her face, tracing along the curve of her jaw, her hands trapped under his other hand that was like a steel vice. He tilted his head slightly and leaned in closer.

"_But I will warn you since the last thing Lena said was 'What about Roxie?'."_ He paused as she sobbed out loud and rested his hand on her neck, leaning back.

_"As a favor to my ninth Queen of Hearts, I will tell you this."_ She gasped as he moved his hand downward to rest over her heart. _"Do not allow this pretty little heart be broken." _He told her in that harsh voice and tapped her breastbone with a finger. _"Or I'll be back to carve it out and keep it safe with the other broken hearts."_

"Ah-!" Roxie gasped faintly and closed her eyes tightly in hopes that he'll disappear like a bad dream. She didn't move as she felt his weight move off of her, instead she lay there frozen in fear until she finally mustered up enough courage to open her eyes to see the pictures on the ceiling and one that she had never seen before was added. There among the happy pictures was a picture of Lena laying dead on the street, her lifeless eyes staring right down at her.

"AHHHH!"


	2. Chpt 1

She fooled all of her friends into thinking she's so strong,

But she still sleeps with her light on,

And she acts like it's all right on,

As she smiles again her mother lies there sick with cancer,

And her friends don't understand her,

She's a question without answers,

Who feels like falling apart.

She knows, she's so much more than worthless,

But she needs to find her purpose,

She wonders what she did to deserve this and...

Thousand Foot Krutch - 'This is a Call'

* * *

Billie strided into the baseball court where Van & Deaq were facing off in a one-on-one basketball game. Behind her, a young woman followed more slowly as she looked around the Candy Store curiously. 

"Van! Deaq!" Billie yelled, causing Van to miss his shot. He grunted in frustration and looked exasperatedly towards Deaq as he crowed.

"Ha ha! I win!" Deaq taunted, pointing at his partner as he gave him a scoffing grin and turned to glare at Billie.

"That was a perfect shot!" He complained to Billie. "I would've made it if you wouldn't shriek at me!"

"You'll live." Billie coolly retorted and gestured to the woman behind her. "Boys, I want you to meet someone. This is Roxie." She said as Roxie came to stand next to her. "She has some information on your next case." She finished. Roxie gave a small timid smile and a quick wave. Deaq pushed past Van, sticking his hand out to Roxie.

"Well, hello, Roxie!" He drawled with a grin. "I'm Deaq." He jabbed a thumb behind him. "And that's Van my man." Her hand felt cold and small in his larger warm one.

"Ooh! Cold hands!" he said surprised and she gave him a half grin as she drew her hand from his.

"I've always had cold hands." She said as she took Van's offered hand, feeling like he just offered to shake out of curiosity. He grasped her hand firmly so that she couldn't take it back and started rubbing it, grinning as she blushed a deep pink.

"Hey!" Billie swatted Van and he dropped Roxie's hand with a grin.

"Hey, I'm just doing my community service!" Van bantered. She gave him her 'Sure' look and handed Deaq the folder she was holding. He opened it to scan over the pictures and papers.

"King of Hearts? Thirteen Queens?" Deaq asked as he looked up. "This looks like a drag show. What is this?"

"Your next case. That guy's M.O. has been to attack exactly thirteen women and carve their hearts out like some kind of sick trophy." Billie explained and shook her head. "He'd always leave the city before the cops can get close to him and then all's left in that city is copycats. This guy is good, more often then not, we can't find all Thirteen Queens."

"Then how do you know it's exactly thirteen victims every time?" Van asked skeptically, crossing his arms.

"He told Roxie." Billie answered, looking to the woman in question as she looked down at the ground. "You wanna tell 'em about it?" Billie asked gently.

She raised her head up and looked at each of them in turn, settling on Billie's gaze. "Alright, I'm the one who talked to him." She hugged herself, thinking for a moment. "I met him for the first time on the next night after he murdered my roomie. Lena, his Ninth Queen. He left me a warning to never get my heart broken or he'll come after me." Her gaze traveled away from Billie and back down at the floor.

"I'm so scared." She sighed so faintly. "He started leaving me little gifts inside my apartment, roses, chocolates, jewelry. Billie has them now. He calls me his 'Jester' and he tells me information. I had the landowner change the locks and install a deadbolt, but he still got in." She took a shuddering breath. "So I moved, didn't tell anybody, didn't pack anything except for what I can put in a large purse. By all rights, he should've never found me. I tried really hard to make sure nobody was following me, but he _found_ me. I walked in my apartment nine days ago and found my cat lying on my bed with roses, her heart cut out."

"So he was telling you his secrets?" Deaq asked disbelieving.

"'Thirteen Queens for Thirteen Kingdoms ruled under the King of Hearts, and the Thirteenth Queen of the Thirteenth Kingdom shall be his Queen of Hearts.'" Roxie recited and then peeped into the folder Deaq was still holding and found a folded letter. She opened it and handed it to Van who read it with Deaq leaning over his shoulder. They could see the first two lines were of which Roxie quoted and then the rest were about a Twelfth Queen named Hannah Hart in the Forth Kingdom, New York.

"Damn, the King's sending you love letters too?" Deaq asked flabbergasted.

"Each of those letters holds clues to his past crimes." Billie explained. "As far as we can figure out, he's been to at least ten cities and killed nine Queens here in L.A. that we know of. That's over a hundred-thirty victims. We're gonna get this guy." She said confidently and not at all arrogantly.

"So whadda we're gonna do?" Deaq asked, handing the folder to Van. Billie smiled smugly, she knew they aren't gonna like what's she gonna tell them.

"I'm going undercover. You two are glorified babysitters."

* * *

Van was lounging on the red couch with his arms along the length of the top of it near Billie's office. Perpendicular to him, Roxie was sitting in the matching chair, her arms crossed across her chest staring down at the glass coffee table with one knee over the other. Her toe was bouncing in the air nervously and it was really beginning to get on Van's nerves. He sighed and rubbed the area between his eyes and then leaned forward and grabbed the offending toe. 

"I'm sorry, but you're making me tense with that toe." He said apologetically as he met her surprised look. She lowered her eyes and nodded blushing lightly, uncrossing her legs so that both feet rest firmly on the ground.

Billie gave him an annoyed look and he shrugged at her, mouthing 'What?'. She went back to what she was talking about, pacing back and forth.

"Anyway, I'll go undercover, I've studied the girls the King goes after and I think I can pull that off. I'll go to clubs and see if I can find a lover, I have a hunch the King may have dated some of the girls. Deaq will follow me and watch my back." Billie said, laying out her plan. She was about to go on when Van raised a hand. "Yes?"

"How come I don't get to go clubbing with you?" Van asked with a grin.

"'Cause I know you and the girls like you." Billie shot back and Deaq hid his grin behind his fist.

"Ooh, that hurts." Van said with a barely hidden smirk, resting a hand over his heart. "Really."

Billie scoffed at him and continued on. "So I'll go clubbing with _Deaq_ my backup," She said pointedly towards Van. "and you're going to be guarding Roxie here. I know you're scared and you have a right to be." She said to Roxie as she looked up at her. "But we need more information on this guy and you're our only source. Van may be immature, but he knows how to do his job."

"I didn't know you cared!"

"Shut up. Then when the timing's right, I get the boyfriend to break up with me and I'll go out on my own. We might just be able to catch the King." Billie finished without missing a beat. Van grinned and looked over at Roxie. He sighed when he saw that she was now playing with a blue/black curl at the nape of her neck. That girl was way too wound up for him and he was starting to realize what meant to be a long tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs.

"But where's Van gonna be?" Roxie asked suddenly. "Is he actually gonna be in my apartment or is he gonna be guarding from the outside?"

"He'll be stalking you from a distance; we don't want to spook the King away." Billie explained, her face crinkling slightly in worry that Roxie was going to freak. "And we'll update your security so Van will know exactly when the King comes in. I know it's a lot asking you to be bait and you'll be losing some of your privacy."

"It is... but over a hundred and thirty girls dead because of him?" She looked up at her and for the first time, she didn't seem as scared, but surer of herself. "I'd go to Hell to put him away."

Billie smiled. "That's my girl."

* * *

"Can you hear me?" Roxie asked nervously as she paced back and forth in her apartment. She hand a hand lightly resting on the hearing receiver in her ear and she stopped at the window to look out. 

_"Yes, I can hear you, Roxie." _Van's voice was reassuring to her. _"Now don't be so worried. Sheesh, you're so uptight and tense!"_ She could hear the smile in his voice and didn't take offense.

"Ha, real funny, Van. Nice to know you care." She retorted, but calmed by the familar banter, she used to banter like that with Lena. "And I know, I know. Stop talking to you or he's gonna realize something's up. Just act like everything's normal." She said, rolling her eyes up towards the ceiling. She heard Van chuckle and she allowed herself to grin.

Roxie sighed and shook herself. She moved away from the window after closing the sheers and put a CD in the stereo and soothing Celtic music started playing as she started doing Yoga to calm her nerves and to pass the time more quickly.

Van sighed quietly as he leaned his head back against the headrest of his seat. He was down on the street where he can see Roxie's apartment window. There was a laptop computer in the passenger seat besides him where he could see everything that was happening in the apartment from the carefully located video cams. He winced as he watched Roxie bend herself in ways that made him ache.

Van looked up and scanned around the neighbor, but didn't see anything out of place. He slouch deeper down in the chair and sighed, rolling his eyes heavenward. He wasn't worried about being seen, the windows were tinted so that no one could see in. But just the same this was gonna be long and boring and Deaq and Billie was out there having fun.

* * *

Deaq had already arrived at the club Billie picked an hour early than when Billie was going to show. He was careful to not drink too much and stick to mostly non-alcoholic drinks as he hanged out. He laughed and courted with some of the girls that interested him, to blend in with the scene better when out of the corner of eye, he saw Billie come in. 

He stared almost shell-shocked at how stunning she looked; she was dressed in a fine red dress that was cut high and low in all the right places with heels that made her legs look stunning and her hair was allowed to cascade around her face with the come-hither eyes and seductive red lips.

"Hey, lover, your mouth's open." A woman besides Deaq said with a smile as she pushed his jaw back up. He laughed sheepishly and shook his head.

"Do you know her?" she asked, nodding towards Billie as she made her way to the bar to get a drink and take in the view.

"Nah, just surprised me." He replied with a charming grin and turned so that he was facing her. "But you're the fine girl on my mind right now."

"I better be."

Billie looked around; she was relieved to see that Deaq had positioned himself so that even as he talked to his girl, he could watch Billie. She turned her focus to the men of the club, measuring them up to find the one that she liked best. No point in pretending to date someone if she didn't like him. She drank the last of her Martini and smiled coyly at a man that caught her attention and he smiled in return.

'_Progress'_ Billie thought to herself as he made his way to her. His body shape did fit Roxie's description, unfortunately, so did every other man in the club. But he had a smile that she can just die for. Although hopefully not literately, she realized as she tipped her head to the side and looked up at him, flirting eyes from under her lashes.

"Hi, gorgeous." He spoke, his voice a deep bass, as he leaned against the counter besides her. "I'm Daniel."

"Hi, Daniel. I'm Billie."

* * *

Billie discovered a false lover with Daniel and had been out dating with him during the past evenings and although she was having fun with him, she was worried about the next steps in her plan. In fact, there was a little problem that was beginning to develop. 

"Deaq." She called to him and he came up and sat down on her desk.

"What's up?" He asked.

"I think I might have a little problem." Billie said, a frown crinkling her brow. "I think I'm seriously falling in love with Daniel." She confessed, slightly embarrassed. She glared at him as he tried to stifle his snickers.

"I'm sorry, Billie." He said sincerely. "I just thought I'd never see you do anything so human such as falling love with somebody you're using."

"I couldn't help it!" Billie said in defense. "I'm supposed to act like I'm in love with him and that actually caused me to fall in love!"

"I get you." He said, raising his hands. "But you know what you have to do. It matters more that we stop the King's reign."

"Yeah, but just the same, it's gonna be hard to sabotage the relationship." She sighed and regained her brisk manner. "How is Van doing?" She changed the topic to something less touchy.

"Bored out of his mind, but he says that Roxie's getting antsy." He said with a frown. "He's worried that she's gonna do something from the stress."

"It can't be easy for her, knowing there's a serial killer after her and waiting for him to come into her apartment and leave his next clue."

"No lie. I just hope for both Van and Roxie's stake, he acts soon and we can put this all behind us."

"Me too."

"See you tonight?" He asked Billie as he stood up; feeling like it was time for him to start moving on. She nodded at him and he left her office. He made his way into the basketball court area and snapped his cell phone open and speed dialed Van.

_"This is Van."_ Deaq could hear his partner's voice and it sounded a little tired and mostly bored.

"Hey, just checkin' up on you, man." He said as he leaned against the wall near the doorway. "How's it going with you?"

_"In some ways, good and bad." _Van's voice was ironic. _"I'm going out of my mind here and the laptop only has one channel, Roxie 24/7. I never seen a woman who can get so riled up like her and it's making me tense."_

Deaq chuckled. "Hang in there, buddy. With luck, this'll be over soon." He laughed out loud. "Besides, you'll never guess what I found out about Billie and Daniel."

_"What? Did she fall in love with him for real?"_ Van asked, instantly interested, Deaq could hear the car seat squeak as he sat up straighter.

"You could say that."

_"Oh-ho! She actually fell in love with- shit!"_ Van's voice was alarmed and Deaq could hear strange sounds of rustling and the slamming of the car door.

"Van? What's happening, man?" he asked worriedly, and then snapped the phone shut. He hurried to Billie's office where she was still on the computer.

"Billie, we got trouble at Roxie's!"

* * *

Van ran up the stairs, hold his gun downwards, taking the steps two at a time until he reached the third floor and shoved through the door into the hallway. He ran down the hallway until he reached a door with the number 3 on it and he fumbled for his keys, Roxie gave him a set. Once he got the door open, he dashed in and ran to Roxie's bedroom, where he had seen her last on the cams. 

She screamed as he burst through the door, but calmed when she realized it was her protector. She sat on the floor, huddled and crying in the corner as far as she could away from the source of her distress. Van quickly scanned the room and seeing nothing out of place; he jammed the gun in the back of his pants and crouched down besides Roxie.

"What is it? What happened?" He asked, placing one hand on her shoulder and the other to lift her head up so that they were looking eye to eye. She sobbed, and started shaking her head in mute denial.

"What is it? Why did you need me?" He tried again, catching her chin so that she couldn't shake her head anymore.

"He got in and you d-didn't know!" she cried, shaking from her fear. He pulled her closer to him and started rubbing her back. "H-he left me another g-gift."

"Where?"

"On the c-ceiling." She said pulling back and pointing up towards the ceiling above her bed. He stood and went to look. There, he could see that pictures were tapped up there of another Queen lying dead on a blood-soaked bed. He swore softly under his breath and reached up to tear down the pictures, shuffled them together and stuck them in his back pocket.

"I-I hoped that h-he'd leave me alone once he realized that you're watching me." She said brokenly, staring in the distance numbly in a way that alarmed him.

"Hey, hey." He quickly went to her and gently pulled her up so that she was standing. He ducked his head to look her in the face and she looked back from under her hair. "I'll stay here with you until you feel better, ok?" At her nod, he went on. "I just gotta make a call to Billie really quick." He led her into the living room and sat her down on the couch wrapped in a blanket. He moved away from her, but kept her in his range of sight as he pulled out his cell phone, he had remembered to put it in his pocket, but not turn it off. He dialed Billie, knowing that she would want to be the first to know.

"_Van, what the hell happened?"_ Billie's worried voice came over the line.

"The King got into her room and taped pictures of a dead Queen on her ceiling. She's not doing very good right now, so I'm gonna stay with her until she calms." He reported his eyes still on Roxie concernedly.

"_Take care of her, she's your priority right now."_ Billie said, he could hear the worry in her voice as she hung up. He slipped the cell back into his pocket and went back to Roxie. He sat down next to her and was worried at how she didn't respond to him. He gently shook her. "Hey, don't be shutting down. Talk to me."

She didn't say anything for awhile, until she gave a sad little sigh and leaned against Van's shoulder, seeking comfort. He wrapped his arms around her, but stayed quiet, hoping that this method would get through her shields.

"I'm sorry for acting like this." She said softly.

"No, no. I understand, its ok." Van quickly reassured her, giving her a small squeeze. She snuffled and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder.

"It's just that it brought back memories. That's where I found the pictures of Lena." She choked back a sob.

"Hey, shh, shh.. Don't be thinking about that." Van said pushed her gently. "C'on, show me that pretty face?"

"Nice try, mister, I'm all ugly right now and don't say otherwise or I'll make you a girl." She threatened.

"Ah, good. We've moved pass fear to anger." He noted as he shifted slightly.

* * *

"Did you get the pictures?" Van asked on the cell phone. He was standing in Roxie's kitchen as he made dinner for the two of them. There was soft soothing music playing, he had discovered that she was calmer when there was music. Music really does tame the savage soul, or in her case, ravaged. 

"_Yah. Billie's looking them over for clues right now." _Deaq said over the phone. _"Too bad they didn't come with a love letter. That would've helped."_

"Yah," Van was about to say more when Deaq interrupted him.

_"By the way, Billie wants you to guard Roxie from inside her apartment. This guy is too smooth. I went over the recordings of the apartment and I can't find nothing."_

"Alright. I was thinking of doing that anyway." Van agreed and hung up. He checked on the TV dinner in the microwave as he got the next one ready when he thought of how all of sudden, it seemed very quiet, like something happened, even though he could still hear music playing.

"Roxie?" He called out, listening for her. "Are you Ok?" He grew alarmed when she didn't reply and walked to the bathroom door where she went to wash her face. He realized that she had been in there longer than it should've taken. He rapped on the door, tilting his head towards it to hear better.

"Roxie?"

_"Like a bird from these prison walls I'll fly... I'll fly away..."_ He could hear her singing softly in the bathroom and the way she sounded rang warning bells in his head. He tried the door knob but found it locked.

"Roxie! You open this door or I'll break it down!" He yelled, pounding on the door.

_"Just a few more weary days and then... I'll fly away..." _she sang from behind the door. He put his shoulder to the door and shoved. It creaked, but didn't give. He grunted in frustration, took a few steps back and slammed his shoulder into the door. It splintered open and he staggered into the room. He saw Roxie lying in the dry bathtub, some pills and their containers scattered all over the bathroom. She stared up at the ceiling with a drugged gaze as she kept on singing.

_"I'll fly away, oh glory... I'll fly away, in the morning... When I die, Hallelujah by and by... I'll fly away..." _

He rushed to her and gathered her up, her skin was pale and clammy, and her pulse was thready and weak.

"Roxie!"

_"I'll fly away... I'll fly away... I'll fly away..."_

* * *

DKM, thanks for inspiring my muse! If it wasn't for that great review you wrote me, it might've been longer before the next chapter was posted! My muse is very ficky and she likes to run away with the sexy guys from my stories. ;) 


	3. Chpt 2

When the shadows of this life have gone

I'll fly away...

Like a bird from these prison walls I'll fly

I'll fly away...

I'll fly away, oh Glory

I'll fly away, in the morning

When I die hallelujah by and by

I'll fly away...

Allison Kuarss 'I'll Fly Away

* * *

"They just got finished with giving her charcoal and pumping her stomach." Van was sitting in one of the chairs in the waiting room of the hospital talking on his cell phone.

"_What did the doctor say?"_ Billie's voice came over the phone sounding professional, but with a hint of worry.

"The doctor thinks that she has a chance of pulling through this." He replied, his gaze distracted from the floor as a child ran by him to the toys that were set in the corner of the waiting room. The mother came more slowly and picked a chair near the child.

"If she doesn't have any trouble during the night, she'll be able to go home tomorrow." Van continued, returning his attention to the floor. "I'll be going back to her room, but she might still be asleep."

"_All right, Van. You stay there and make sure she doesn't get any unwanted visitors."_ Billie ordered and hanged up. He slipped his phone into a pocket and leaned back with a sigh, and then stood up and walked by the reception desk where he nodded to a nurse and down a hallway here he carefully opened one of the doors to peer in. He could see Roxie was still sleeping; nothing had changed since he left the room to make the call. Quietly, he came in and sat down next to her bed.

* * *

Billie stood in front of her mirror in her bathroom as she finished up with her last touches for her date with Daniel tonight. She paused before applying her lipstick, really looking at her refection for the first time since she started primping. What could make someone want to die? To just give up and kill themselves so they don't have to deal with it anymore? For the matter, what would it take for her want to kill herself? She wondered.

She was suddenly shaken out of her morbid musing when she heard the knocking at her door. She quickly applied her lipstick and with a quick flick of her hair, she walked to the door and opened it.

"Hey, lover." She said as she tilted her face up to receive his kiss. He smiled back at her as he handed her a bouquet of red carnations that had a spicy smell.

"I thought you'd like something a little different." He teased as she breathed in their spicy scent. "Besides, red roses are so cliché."

"Hey! They're classics!" Billie defended as she swatted him with the back of her hand; he winced playfully and caught her to kiss her soundly. She smiled as she pushed him away and walked into the kitchen to put the flowers in water.

"You seem a bit distracted." Daniel observed as he rested his elbows on the kitchen table and watched her fill up a vase with water.

"Am I?" Billie said back at him with a smile. "Maybe you're distracted." She winked at him and took the flowers out of the sleeve they were in and plopped them into the water, taking a moment to fluff them and arrange them. He came up behind her and lifted her hair away from the back of her neck so he could kiss her there. She sighed with pleasure and leaned back against him.

"Wanna stay here for tonight?" She asked huskily.

"Sure."

"Oh, you're not doing that!" Deaq exclaimed from his car as he put down his binoculars and hit the steering wheel. He had been looking forward to checking out a club that had opened not long ago and now it seemed that Billie had other things on her mind, things that he didn't feel right thinking about, much less witnessing.

"If you think I'm gonna sit out here and imagine all those kinky things you're doing to Daniel, you got another think coming!" Deaq groused at her house, but he knew that he wouldn't feel right leaving, besides, who knows, maybe they'll change their mind later about going clubbing. If they don't take all night, that is. He grumbled as he settled down in his seat and turned the radio on.

"When she said I'll be watching her back, I thought it'll be all partying. But noooo, it's sex too and I have to sit out in this damned car trying to amuse myself." He started rocking to the music as he settled on a station whose vibe he liked. "To bad she never said what to do if she stays home with her man instead."

Deaq jumped suddenly as his phone rang in his pocket and he dug it out and was surprised to see Billie's number.

"Whasup?"

"_You don't have to watch my back tonight."_ She whispered softly into the phone.

"Where are you, isn't your lover boy gonna think it strange with you on the phone talking like that?" Deaq asked skeptically.

"_I'm in the bathroom you idiot. Just go and enjoy yourself. I know you've been looking forward to going to that club, you sure won't shut up about it._" Billie told him and hanged up. He grinned as he closed his phone and slipped it back into his pocket and started his car.

Billie opened the bathroom door, and stood there, framed by the light behind her, now clad in a silk bathrobe and lingerie she had bought earlier that week.

"Now, where were we?" She asked sultrily, her eyes approvingly gliding over Daniel's body as he lay on her bed clad only in his boxers.

"I believe it was somewhere between "Wanna stay tonight" and "Let's have wild sex."" He replied as he got up from her bed and went to her. He took her in his arms and looked down into them deeply before kissing her gently, then more firmly.

"Ooh, you know how to do your job." Billie murmured, pleased.

* * *

"Mmm, where am I?" Roxie moaned softly as she rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes sleepily as she looked around the room she was in. Van stood and moved to the side of the bed so she could see him.

"How you're feeling?" He asked, tilting his head slightly. She sighed and stretched, her body felt a little stiff as she had been lying in the same position for a while.

"Like I puked my guts out and a headache that would kill a whale." She moaned as she closed her eyes from the harsh lights. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, do you remember what happened?" Van asked, his voice becoming a little bit colder from worry and slight irritation from the stress. She squinted at him as she detected the change in his voice and manner.

"You're sounding more like a cop than my protector." She observed critically. "I'm not sure if I like the way you're talking right now."

"Too bad, honey. But I do tend to get cranky when my charge tries to kill her self." Van shot back, riled. "Do you remember what happened?" He said, unconsciously adapting more of the cop interrogation manner.

"Not really." Roxie shot back, her eyes narrowing with anger. "I just remember those fucking pictures on my ceiling!"

"What about after that?" Van challenged.

"You were there and you were playing my friend instead of the cop." She retorted and got a small satisfaction as he winced slightly at her jab. He sighed and rubbed the area between his eyes.

"Why did you try to kill yourself?" He tried instead, more gently. He watched as her defiance melted away and she started worrying the blanket, knotting it around her hands as she stared down at them.

"Do you know what I'm really scared of? What makes me wanna just hide in my room curled up in some pathetic ball and cry?" Roxie asked, but he felt that he wasn't supposed to answer and after a paused, she continued on. "Dying, I'm terrified of dying. That I would cease to exist anymore and Roxie would be forgotten never existed."

He started in surprised and she looked up at him with hollow eyes.

"And I tried to kill myself." She laughed with out humor. "That's how scared of _him_ I am. I killed myself so I wouldn't have to deal with him anymore." She said, with almost a sense of wonder.

"I'm sorry." Van sighed as he pulled the chair closer and sat down.

"What for?"

"Being an ass, not being there for you, when you need me. Take your pick." He said as he rested his elbows on her bed. She smiled at him and patted him on the head.

"You're cute." She smiled at him, her annoyance at him forgotten. "I had a revelation. I'm not gonna let the King control me anymore; keep me so afraid all the time. I'm tired of being afraid and I wanna fight now. I want you to teach me how to protect myself, how to shoot, anything."

"Sure, if you promise to never try to kill yourself again." Van bantered. She smiled mischievously and held out her pinky and he took it with his own with a grin.

"No worries of that, I'm still scared of dying." She said with a laugh.

* * *

It was a day longer than planned before the doctors allowed Roxie to leave the hospital; she had to see a psychiatrist to make sure that she wouldn't attempt suicide again. Van opened the door to her apartment and she walked in with a sigh.

"It's always good to be home again." Roxie told him with a smile that changed to a frown as she noticed a bouquet of flowers sitting on the coffee table. She walked to it, but was stopped by Van as he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Wait, it might be from the King." He said as he moved forward carefully to examine it. Finding nothing abnormal, he pulled the envelope with the card and handed it to her to open. With only the crease between her eyebrows to show her discomfort with the situation, she carefully opened it and pulled the card out.

_To my Jester of Hearts, I applaud you. You have greatly amused me and begun to develop the very character I was hoping to see from you. I look forward to continuing our relationship and our game with the Blue Knaves. Oh, tell your Knave that he may enjoy your friendship, but nothing more. Eternally yours, King of Hearts._

Roxie looked up at Van with the familiar scared look. He took the card from her and quickly scanned it, his eyes lingering over the last two sentences.

"'Blue Knaves?'" He asked, looking up at her as she sat down on the couch.

"Cops." She explained. "He's created this fantasy world where everything is this world beneath a world, where it only happens the way he wants it to in his mind." She laughed without mirth. "He's insane."

"That goes without saying." Van agreed as he picked up the flowers. "What do you want me to do with these?"

She looked up at him, then at the flowers as she thought for a moment. "Eh, put them in water, it's not their fault." She put her feet up on the coffee table and leaned her head back. "It's gonna be hard to not be so afraid all the time, is it?"

"Yep. But you learn how to not let it take control of you." Van said as he found a vase in a cupboard and was filling it with water.

"Do you ever get scared?" She said as she sat forward and looked over her shoulder. He shrugged as he pulled the wrapper off the flowers.

"Sure, you'd have to be inhuman not to be."

"How soon can you teach me something to defend myself?" She asked as she flipped over so that her elbows were now resting on the back of the couch as she watched him drop the flowers in the vase. He shrugged as he leaned against the counter, crossing his arms.

"Right now if you want."

"Is it gonna be that SING deal from Miss Congeniality?" Roxie asked with a mischievous grin. He laughed, shaking his head.

"Yah, something like that. But more through." He said with a grin and offered her a hand as she clambered over her couch.

"Why don't you go get your yoga mats and I'll move the stuff around so that we have more room?" He asked and she nodded as she hurried to her room, pulling her coat off and chucking it somewhere in her bedroom as she dove into the closet. He bent to grab one side of the couch and pulled it against the wall and soon, Roxie was helping him move the rest of the furniture.

Van straightened up as finished wrestling a recliner chair by the couch and looked at her with a sly grin. "'Operation Thong has commenced.'"

She laughed as she walked to him and swatted him on the arm. "'Go stun-gun yourself!'"

* * *

"Oohh!" Roxie moaned as she walked out of her bedroom clad in her pajamas and bathroom as she carefully made her way to the kitchen. "Please just kill me now, I hurt way too much!" She groaned as she sat down at the table, her muscles were on fire from the workout Van had put her through.

Van laughed at her exaggerated expressions and movements as he got up effortlessly from the couch where he had crashed for the night. She glared at him as she sat waiting for the kettle to boil.

"You can make a saint hate you with how perky you are this morning. And put your shirt on, you're being distracting and I don't do distracting very well in the morning." She glowered at him as she opened a tea bag packet and put it in a Little Mermaid mug. "How do you do it?" she asked as he grabbed his shirt and started buttoning it up.

"Which one? Ah, good genes and lots of practice." He said with a grin as she gave him a particularly dirty look and he picked up the kettle as it started to steam and poured it into her cup so that she wouldn't have to move too much. She smiled at him in thanks and sighed as she inhaled the steam before sipping.

"Please tell me the pain will go away." She murmured as she drank her tea slowly. He grinned as he leaned against the counter besides her.

"The pain'll go away. Not real quick though." Van said and laughed as she rapped him on the shoulder with her spoon.

"You should do some stretches or that Yoga you like to do and then I'll take you to the shooting range and we can get started on learning how to use firearms." He said as he reached across the table for an apple from the fruit basket.

"Whooopie, first you work me so hard that I hurt in new places, then you're gonna blow out my eardrums?" She gave a wry chuckle. "You sure know how to show a girl a good time. When can I drop dead?"

"Tomorrow." He replied as he pulled her from the chair and pushed her towards her room. She stopped in the doorway to turn and look at him with a quizzical frown.

"Didn't you say that yesterday?"

"Is it tomorrow yet?"

"I hate you."

"Luv you too."

* * *

Deaq was laughing as he came into Billie's office area and sat down on the chair across from her. She smiled at him as she put the paper down and propped her elbows on the desk as she waited for Deaq to contain his mirth and tell her of what was amusing him so much.

"OK. I've been watching Van and Roxie in the security cams and that girl's teaching him Yoga! She's got him bending in all kinds of weird ways and now he's groaning as much as she is!" He said with a laugh. "They're fighting each other, seeing how much they can put the other one through before they snap and give up from the pain."

"That's good. At least she's not so depressed anymore." Billie said as she leaned back in her chair. "She lost a best friend, somebody she used to banter with and Lena was her pillar of strength." She smiled at his surprised look. "I had a good, long talk with Roxie before I brought her to the Candy Store."

"So you're saying that Van's becoming the replacement best friend?" Deaq asked with a skeptical look.

"You've seen how they talk with each other; they're like real roomies now." She gave a small laugh. "In fact, when I talked to Van last, he was talking about how they're gonna go shopping for a futon so that he has a more comfortable place to sleep."

"Who would've thought?" Deaq said with a grin as he leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers behind his head when he noticed the papers that were in front of her.

"Hey, what are these?" He asked as he snagged one before she could shuffle the papers back into their folder.

"Deaq, give that back." She said sternly, but he ignored her as he quickly scanned it, a frown appearing on his brow. The paper was about Lena's death and the notes that Roxie have been receiving.

"What's with this?" He asked as he allowed her to take it back and shuffle it back into the folder with the others. She sighed.

"I'm trying to figure out why Roxie is the King's go-to girl." Billie tapped the folder with her forefinger. "There is something that is different about her that he decided to keep her alive as his jester instead of killing her and making her a queen."

"Yah, I've been thinking about that too." Deaq said as he propped his elbow on his knee and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I think it's the key to finding out who the King is." Billie said as she leaned back in her chair and rested her feet up on her desk.

"Speaking of finding the King, how's the relationship with Daniel going?" Deaq asked with a snap of his fingers and pointing at her with a sly grin. He laughed when she thought for a moment and got the starry love-struck look in her eyes.

"Deaq, stop it!" She glared at him as her feet hit the ground with a loud thud. He tried to stop laughing, but snorted instead which caused Billie to smirk.

"Fine, I'm head over heels for him. Happy?" She said as she replaced her feet on her desk. He nodded with a big grin and rested a hand over his heart as he gave her a mock bow.

"Billie, you're my role model." He told her with a smirk and she swatted the air at him. He stood up with a sigh and pulled the hem of his shirt down as he mused over what he wanted to say next. "Don't let him break your heart for real, though. Not when we have so much at stake and we need you on top of your game."

"So that's what you and Van are talking about? I'm not on the top of my game anymore?" Billie asked with that dangerous look in her eyes.

"Hey, you said it, not me!" he replied, his hands in the air as he backed up. "But seriously, be careful. The King could be waiting for you." She smiled at him in the familiar cocky way.

"Hey, this is me. I know what I'm doing." She said and waved a hand at him dismissively. "Now go away and do your thing. Remember I have a date with Daniel tonight at 8."

"I got your back, Billie." Deaq said with a grin and left. She watched him go and picked up her phone and hit the speed dial.

_"Hey, luv. Getting cold feet already?"_ Daniel's familiar voice came over the line and she found herself sitting at her desk like a love-sick school girl, chin propped in her hand as she stared dreamily up at the ceiling. She grinned sheepishly as she changed her pose, hoping that Deaq didn't happen to see her do that.

"No, just wanted to hear your voice." She replied huskily.

_"I can do better than that, why don't I stop by where you work and take you out for lunch?" _Daniel said. _"We can go to that new Mexican place that opened up a few weeks ago. I heard that the food was divine. Or at least, that's what my co-worker tells me_._"_ He said with a laugh. _"She won't stop gushing about it, so it has to be really good." _

"That sounds wonderful, but how about I come to you instead?" Billie oftered instead as she smiled dreamily.

_"Are you embarrassed by your co-workers or job? Or me? Because you won't tell me anything about what you do and it seems that I'm not allowed to see my girlfriend at work." _She frowned at the tone of his voice and leaned forward.

"No!" She protested. "I'm not embarrassed by anything about our relationship or my job. It's just I don't think that you'd approve of it."

_"Honey, you're a cop. I can't disapprove of somebody who works to keep people safe." _Daniel said, causing her to start in surprise.

"Wha- how did you know I'm a cop?" She asked, quickly casting about her mind to find where she gave it away to him and coming up empty.

_"Easy, I found your badge when we were playing strip-tease. I should've have known sooner when you wanted to handcuff me. "_ He teased her; she could hear that he wasn't mad or disappointed anymore, but amused now. She leaned back in her chair relieved.

"Thank you for understanding. But I still wanna come pick you up; I just got a new car I wanna try out." She said with a smile.

_"Is it anything like the last one we test drove?"_

"Better."

_"Come get me, babe."_

* * *

"I'm so glad that we didn't get a heavier futon." Roxie sighed as she sat next to Van on their new futon after they had just finished putting it together.

"I know what you mean, I'm so tired now." Van replied with a lazy grin as he rested his arms along the top of the futon. "But you can be sure that I'm happier about having a nicer place to sleep on."

"Hey, are you saying that my couch sucks?" She asked him with a mock frown.

"I'm saying that it's worse than sucks." He said back at her with a sly grin.

"You take that back!" She hit him in the shoulder and he laughed as he grabbed her in a head-lock. "Hey! Lemme go!" She struggled and he shook his head grinning.

"Not until you promise to make dinner tonight." He said as he tickled her in the side, causing her to shriek.

"Fine! I'll make dinner, just don't tickle me anymore!" She squealed and sat up as he released her head, her hair frizzy and all over the place. She suddenly looked past him and gasped. He stood quickly and turned to look at what had surprised her when she tackled him from behind and knocked him face first into the futon.

"I can't believe you fell for the oldest trick in the book!" She crowed as she started tickling him as he twisted to get out from under her. He managed to get in a better position, but before he could take advantage of it, she darted from him and paused in her bedroom doorway laughing at him.

"I'm gonna change now and you've better scoop me up some of the ice cream in the freezer by the time I come out." She ordered, wiggling a finger at him playfully.

"You're insane." He told her with a grin.

"All my roomies tell me that, but they love me no less." She said with a grin that faded as a strange look pasted over her face and she quickly turned to go back in her room. He felt that something was wrong.

"Hey, wait." Van called out and she paused closing the door, but still stood with her back to him.

"What's wrong?" He asked concerned as he walked to where she was and rested a hand against the doorframe.

"This whole playing around we've been doing reminded of how Lena and I were. We would always be screwing around and laughing all the time and teasing each other." She snuffled and he pulled her into a hug.

"Hey, it's gonna be OK. We'll put the King in the slam so he can't do this again." He promised her. She pulled back from him to look at him in the face.

"Yeah?" she asked and he smiled as he wiped the tears from her cheek.

"I promise. Besides, don't you want your ice cream?" He asked her with a grin and turned her around and with a slap to her rear, sent her into the room to change with a laugh. He walked to the kitchen area and had the ice cream out when he heard her scream. He rushed to her room and found her sitting on the floor where she had tripped over an ottoman staring into her closet.

"You OK?" Van asked Roxie as he drew his gun and carefully moved to the closet and pushed the door back so that he could see in better. He could see that all of her clothes were tossed in a pile in the middle to make room for all the pictures that were taped all over the walls and ceiling. He tucked the gun into the back of his pants as he looked at some of the pictures more closely.

"She's a new Queen, isn't she?" Roxie quietly asked from behind him as she regained her composure and was now standing just in the entrance to the closet.

"I think so." He said as he started taking them down. He noticed Roxie had started taking the pictures down too, but stopped her and pushed her out.

"No, let me take care of this. You just wait for me in the other room. Please?" He asked and she nodded and walked into the main area of her apartment. He sighed as he turned back to the pictures and picked up a black piece of paper with gold writing and scanned it quickly, and then read it more carefully. He looked up at the pictures, resisting the urge to crumple the letter and resumed furiously taking the rest of the pictures down. Once he had all the pictures stacked together and he had finished checking over the closet for any clues, he pulled out his phone and dialed the Candy Store.

"Hey, Billie." He said when she picked up. "The King left another surprise for Roxie... and me." He said with a pause.

_"What? He knows you're there now?" _Billie asked worriedly.

"Yah, and what's more, he knows I'm a cop and he knows the place has been wired. The King knows my real name and my rank, Billie." He finished worriedly as he moved further into Roxie's room so that he could see her in the kitchen area making tea.

_"Do you think you're at risk? Should we put Roxie into the Witness Protection?"_ Billie asked briskly, he could almost hear the little gears starting to work in her head.

"Nah, he didn't make any real threats, just warnings. I think he's just trying to rattle our cages." He replied as he sat on Roxie's bed. He could hear faintly the clinks of the mugs as she pulled two out of the cupboard.

_"Alright, but don't let Roxie out of your sight. Even though she is trying to be stronger, she is still vulnerable." _Billie warned him and hung up. He looked down at the pictures he was still holding, examining the face of the woman who lies dead on a bed.

"I'm gonna catch you, Bastard."

* * *

Sorry this chapter was a couple days late, between Thanksgiving, homework & babysitting sick cousins and catching their cold/flu, I'm surprised that I even got this finished so quickly! But then again, my Muse has no mercy for me, she kept me working! 


	4. Chpt 3

Whew! I thought between finals week and the flu, I wasn't gonna get this posted on time! Anyway, enjoy, I gotta go work on my other stories since they're suppose to be updating today too. Curse you, Muse!

* * *

I'm a Barbie girl, in the Barbie world  
Life in plastic, it's fantastic!  
You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere  
Imagination, life is your creation  
Come on Barbie, let's go party!

-Aqua 'Barbie Girl'

* * *

"Okay, we have a problem." Billie stated as she paced back and forth in front of her desk. Deaq and Van were standing by the couches, Roxie was still in Van's line of sight, she was looking over the jewelry that they had gathered from their busts after she had promised several times (rolling her eyes) not to take any of them, no matter how tempted she may be, and then they turned her loose in the room. Van had the feeling after seeing the look in her eye that it was like turning loose a fox in the hen house. 

"The King knew about Van, what's more, he knows what Van is doing in Roxie's apartment." She frowned as she noticed Van was sniggering behind his hand as he was clearly distracted from what Billie was saying. Good ol' Deaq, he was focused on what she was saying up to that point, but was now distracted by what had caught Van's attention. She glared at them, and then looked over her shoulder to see Roxie wearing a bunch of the jewelry and apparently singing and dancing off in her own little world. They watched for a moment, and then Billie looked to Van.

"What is she singing?" She asked with a frown. "For some weird reason, it looks familiar." Van watched for a moment, and then grinned when he recognized a move.

"Did ya see that pull-off-her-shirt dance move?" he asked pointing. Billie nodded and then a downing light appeared in her eyes as she suddenly realized what it was.

"That means she's singing 'Barbie Girl'. She was singing that this morning when she woke me up." Van finished and slyly grinned. "I scared the shit outta her when I started dancing along."

"Cute." Billie said with a grin and turned back to the others. She noticed Deaq had a funny look on his face as he was watch Roxie have fun with the loot.

"What's up?" She asked him, wondering why he wasn't laughing too.

"I was just remembering what she looked like when she first came here." Deaq replied as the others reflected back on their first meeting with Roxie.

"Her hands aren't cold anymore, they're just cool now." Van said thoughtfully.

"And she's smiling and laughing, she seems almost radiant now compared to the way she was before." Billie added. "She was gray."

"She was teasing me earlier." Deaq said with a grin. "That girl's got quick wit I didn't see before in her."

"Tell me about it!" Van groaned. "I'm always working hard to keep on my toes around her and she does it effortlessly!" Billie and Deaq laughed at his woeful look. Billie smiled gently as she watched Roxie when she suddenly shook herself and turned to the others with the 'lets-get-to-business' look.

"Ok, back to what we were talking about before." Billie said, her voice ringing with authority as she herded her boys to the couch so that she was now the only one watching Roxie playing around. She knew that the guys will just be distracted and she wanted their full attention.

"The King is learning information about us we don't want him to learn." Billie said, looking from Deaq to Van. "I think he knows about the cams too and he's bypassed them somehow. That's why we never see him enter Roxie's apartment."

"I can check them over for tampering and rearrange the cams." Deaq oftered and Billie nodded in agreement.

Roxie sighed happily, still humming 'Barbie Girl' as she regretfully took the jewelry off and looked up where she could see Billie have a meeting with Deaq and Van. She had wanted to join them, but they just pushed her towards the loot instead. Roxie sighed again, feeling very much like the misbehaving child as she trailed her fingers over the loot until she came to a box that was set down under the table. Curious, she picked it up and opened it.

She felt her good mood disappear into depression as she looked over the letters and pictures she had received from the King of Hearts. A frown crinkled her brow as she realized that she had never seen some of the pictures, Van must've been removing the King's work without her realizing that he was leaving it for her.

She picked up a case and opened it, finding a locket that looked strangely familiar. She carefully pried it open to see the picture of herself and Lena and she stifled a soft sob, she didn't want the others to see her crying ever again. But she finally remembered where she saw the locket before, it was Lena's. Roxie knew they wouldn't like it, especially Van, but she put the locket on and slipped it under her shirt so that they couldn't see it.

Even though it scared and saddened her, she forced herself to look at each picture closely, trying to find something that would tell her about the King when she realized something that she had never noticed before.

"VAN!"

All three of them whirled around alarmed to look to where Roxie was, Deaq so fast that he cricked his neck and was groaning as they watch her come running up to them. She was waving a picture that caused Van to frown as he tried to see it, a sinking feeling starting in the pit of his stomach.

"Look!" she trusted the picture at them, pointing at the dead Queen. Van quickly snatched it from her and crumpled it, both of them trading dark glares.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked her angrily. She smacked him in the chest and grabbed for the picture but he held it up where she was too short to reach it.

"I know that girl!" She exclaimed as she stomped on his foot and finally grabbed the picture back from him as he bent in pain. He froze at her words, looking up at her from his awkward pose.

"What are you talking about?" Billie asked as she looked down at the picture Roxie was smoothing out.

"I went to college with her. Her name was Rita Hoffman." Roxie explained, jabbing her finger at the picture as her gaze darted from person to person. "We lived in the same dorm for the first two years."

"That's weird." Deaq commented as he looked more closely at the crumpled picture. "Are you sure you know her?" He asked, looking up at Roxie. She gave a dramatic sighing groan of frustration and shook the picture in his face.

"Yes! I know that tattoo on her hip, I designed it for her!" She fairly shouted at him, agitated. "Just because I act insane doesn't mean I don't know the truth when I see it!"

"Hey," Van grabbed Roxie and pulled her back in a hug. "It's Ok, we believe you." He reassured her and she calmed slightly, but still breathing heavily.

"It's just we've been looking for a link for a long time and you surprised us." Billie added as she tucked a strand of Roxie's hair away from her face. Roxie looked at them hopefully as her hand unconsciously re-tucked the same strand of hair.

"So you can use that? It's a good clue?" Roxie asked and when they nodded at her, she gave a squeal of delight that left Deaq shaking a finger in his ear to regain his hearing as she hugged Van enthusiastically.

"You see what I have to put up with?" Van asked with mock weariness to the others as he staggered back a few steps from the force of Roxie's hug. "She changes moods more often than I change the channel!"

"Eh!" Roxie protested with a grin as she detangled herself and slapped him in the chest again. He grinned at her as he pulled on her hair gently.

"Do you think you can look over the rest of the pictures? See if you can find any more people from your dorm?" Billie asked seriously and quickly held up a hand as Van opened his mouth to say something in protest. Roxie looked at Van frowning, but then at Billie's neutral face as she thought for a moment and nodded.

"What was the name of your dorm anyway?" Deaq asked as he examined the forgotten picture.

"Hart Hall." Roxie replied matter-factly, not realizing what she said. She looked up when she realized that they all had weird looks. "Huh?"

"Heart Hall?" Deaq asked to clarify it. "As in the King of Hearts?"

"No... Hart as in deer." Roxie said slowly as she realized the implications.

"Roxie, you're a genius!" Van said with a grin as he gave her a kiss on her cheek.

* * *

Van and Roxie were now back in her apartment, Van was pretty much sulking as he made dinner. He kept looking to where Roxie was seated cross-legged on the floor with the case box and all the pictures and letters scattered around her as she examined them carefully. He got into a very heated argument about letting Roxie look at the pictures of the dead Queens with Billie... and lost. 

Roxie sighed as she leaned back against the couch and rubbed her forehead wearily. She had been carefully separating the pictures into groups of women she didn't know, she thought looked familiar and who she does knows. So far, the pile of pictures that had the most was the one with all the women she thought looked familiar, with only about three she was able to identify as being from Hart Hall.

"I'm gonna go outside for some air." She said suddenly as she stood up and went out the door so quickly Van couldn't protest in time.

"Hey!" He yelled after her as he quickly dashed after her, fuming as he paused to lock the door and seeing her disappear around a corner, rushed after her. By the time he caught up with her, she was already on the roof, panting slightly from running to keep ahead of him.

"What did you think you're doing?" He asked annoyed as he leaned against the ledge to regain his breath and nerves. She looked at him with big innocent brown eyes.

"Just getting some air." She said innocently and batted her lashes at him.

"You're trying to pick a fight, aren't you?" Van asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at her. She smiled at him sweetly and he knew the answer was 'yes'.

"Why can't you cry on my shoulder like normal girls?" He complained, throwing his hands up. She laughed and hugged him.

"But then I would be like the normal girls and where would the fun be in that?" She asked him with a grin, looking up at him as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Well, there is that." He said as he wrapped his arms around her. "Wanna talk about it?" He asked softly, knowing that there was more to why she was up there than to pick a fight in some fresh air.

"I'm going home soon, I need to see Mum and get my scrapbooks." Roxie said after a long silence of watching the birds and the sun's slow descent into the city line. "I haven't been home since before the whole King of Hearts deal started." She sighed, causing Van to look down at the top of her head with worry.

"What? You're not looking forward to it?" He asked and was surprised when she started to snicker. "What?" He asked, a bit miffed at the sudden change in mood.

"My mum's gonna eat you right up!" She said, laughing gleefully. "And she's gonna be all, 'Oh Honey, have you finally found the father of my grandchildren!"" she said dramatically and leaned against the ledge laughing helplessly. "You'll love her; she's crazier than I am!" She told him, wiping a tear of mirth from her eye.

"I'm gonna have to be along for this trip, huh?" Van said with a half grin. "Is she really that insane?"

"No, not always, just when we haven't seen each other in a long time." Roxie sobered as she looked out over the city skyline. "She's a wonderful person, even though she tends to come a little heavy on any guys I bring home, boyfriends or not. She won't believe me when I tell her we're just friends." Roxie looked at him and pointed a finger at him warningly. "And we're not telling her that you're my protector and I have a serial killer after me."

"Why? You are in danger and she does have a right to know." Van told her.

"In high school, I had a stalker. Well, I told Mum about him and..." she paused moment thinking back as a slow grin slipped onto her face. "She found him lurking in the tree outside of my window one night, knocked him out of there with the broom and chased him down four blocks with that broom screaming 'Peeping Tom! Stalker! Shame on you!' I saw him in school the next day and he nearly wet his pants at the sight of me!" She finished with an artistic flare that kept Van laughing from start to end.

"She didn't really do that." He said after he was able to regain his breath.

"You're right." She said with a rueful grin. "She called his dad and chewed him out. But I like my version better, less embarrassing, so that's the one I told everybody."

"I knew it." He replied with a grin. "Come on; let's get back to the apartment."

"Van!" Roxie came rushing into the living room where he was watching TV as he waited for her to finish packing, he hadn't bothered to pack yet, he had a feeling. "I just thought of something terrible. What if I bring the King home and he attacks my mum?"

"Uh... well, we can always have her mail your scrapbook to us instead." Van suggested and she swatted him.

"No! I wanna see my mummy!" She whined as she flopped down on the futon next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "But I don't wanna get her hurt either."

"You're gonna have to pick one or the other." He replied, shifting so that both of them were more comfortable and started to change the channel.

"The lesser of the two evils." She muttered annoyed. "I was really looking forward to you meeting my mum. I know I would've had a good laugh out of it." She said to him with a twinkle in her eye.

"Now I'm thankful we're not going, you're too much for me already." He said and groaned as she jabbed him in the ribs. "Why do you keep hitting me?"

"'Cause you're cute when you wince like that." She replied quickly and sat up. "I'll do the next best thing. I'm gonna call Mum and have her mail my scrapbook." Suddenly a strange look passed over her face. "Uh..."

"What, what's wrong?" Van asked, sitting up, instantly worried and ready for anything. She looked at him and gave him a small meek smile.

"I can't tell her my address; she'll just come here instead!" Roxie groaned and flopped back into the futon, her hands covering her face. He laughed as he pulled her hands away and held them.

"Look, here's what we'll do. I'll talk to Billie and we'll figure out a way to sneak you to your mum's home." He said, holding her gaze with his own. She smiled at him relieved.

"Van, I love you." She said delightedly as she threw her arms around him. He grinned as he rubbed her back. "I know, you told me that yesterday."

"I told you I hated you yesterday."

"But you really love me."

"Keep telling yourself that, Hon."

* * *

"I am gonna kill who ever is on the phone!" Billie ranted as she rolled away from Daniel and reached for her phone on the nightstand. "What!" 

_"Whoa, Billie."_ Deaq's voice sounded surprised and mildly amused. _"What got your panties in a knot?"_

"Ha ha, really funny." Billie replied as she felt her lover's arms sneak around her waist and he nuzzled the back of her neck. She held the phone away, covering the mouthpiece. "Daniel, not while I'm on the phone!" She whispered to him, but with a smile so that he knew that she didn't mind.

"You're sexy when you're pissed." He whispered in her ear before nibbling her earlobe. She moaned softly, and then remembered the phone in her hand when she whacked Daniel in the side of his head with it.

"What do you want?" She groused into the phone as she sat up, holding the red silk sheet to her front as Daniel rolled onto his back on his side of the bed, rubbing the area where she hit him accidentally.

_"You're late and we're here waiting for you."_ Deaq's voice was definitely amused now and it rankled her as she wondered what he heard. _"But we can wait for a couple of hours or so, just until you're done... processing Daniel." _

"You're so dead." Billie growled into the phone and slammed it back in the cradle. "Who was that?" Daniel asked as she sighed. "That was work." She replied as she rolled over onto his chest and trailed her fingers over the panes of his chest.

"You know, I still haven't learned anything more about what you do." He said as he slipped his hand behind his head and the other along the small of her back. "You're very secretive about your job and coworkers. You know everything about me."

"Oh, Daniel. What do you really need to know about my job? Aren't I enough?" She asked coyly from lowered lashes. He smiled as he moved his hand up her back along her spine and into her hair at the nape of her neck.

"I just want to know everything about you. What you like, dislike and where you work and who you work with." He said, playing with her hair, combing it with his fingers.

"That's sweet, but there's a time for that." She said, smiling almost evilly as she provocatively slid across his chest in a more comfortable position.

"Mmm, that's nice." He breathed as he closed his eyes for a moment, but then opened them again to look in hers. "But can't I know more about you?"

"Daniel!"

"What? Is it really too much to ask for?" He protested. "Fine, just give me a couple of your coworker's names; you know most of the names of mine." He bartered and she sighed, propping an elbow on his chest as she rested her chin in her hand.

"Fine, Van and Deaq. You're really spoiling the romantic mood, Daniel." She warned him, but he smiled at her as he pulled her closer for a kiss.

"Aren't you gonna be late?" He asked as she started trailing kisses along his jaw.

"Already am." She murmured as she found a sensitive spot just behind his ear that made him moan softly.

"You're the boss, huh?" He lifted her chin and kissed her on the lips, gentle at first, then more urgent. "Um-mm..." She replied and squealed as he rolled with her so that she was now on her back with him on top. "That's sexy."

"Shut up and kiss me. That's an order."

* * *

Deaq was laughing as he hanged up his cell phone and wiped a tear of mirth from his eye. He was sitting up in the theater balcony in the Candy Store with Roxie on his left and Van on his right. 

"Oh my, gosh, she's so gonna kill you!" Roxie said delightedly as she clapped her hands. Van nodded with agreement and slapped Deaq on the shoulder.

"You just signed your death warrant, partner. Was it worth it?" Van asked as he reached across Deaq to high-five Roxie.

"Ask me when she's finished, but as of the moment, yeah." Deaq replied with a grin. "You do realize that she might not look onto favors very nicely after that."

"Trust me, she'll grant us our wish." Roxie said with a sly grin. "After all, Daniel's there to make her feel all better. If she's still pissed, than her boy toy can't be that good."

"Roxie!" Both guys protested. "We're trying to forget about that little fact. The idea of Billie spawning more kids like her is almost beyond imagination." Van said with a mock shiver that made Roxie laugh and shake a figure at him warningly.

"You haven't been watching them, Van." Deaq said to him darkly. "I've had to look away more than once. I had a dream about Billie as a dominatrix and Daniel in a pink feathered boa." He glared at both of them as they laughed at him.

"Don't worry, it'll get better." Roxie reassured Deaq as she patted him on the cheek. "After all, it could've been you in the pink feathered boa instead."

"Roxie!" Deaq protested and dropped his head into his hands as Van started laughing helplessly. "Now I'll never be able to get that image outta my mind!"

"Guys?" Roxie asked after they were quiet for a moment, Van still laughing every once in awhile at the idea of Deaq in the boa and ignoring his dirty glares.

"Yah, sugar?" Deaq asked as he leaned back in the chair and 'accidentally' jabbed Van in the shoulder with his elbow. He ignored Van's protests as he devoted all his attention to Roxie's amused face.

"I got a message from the King." She said and fished a letter out of her purse that was placed in the seat next to her. She was going hand it to Deaq, but Van reached around him and snatched it before he could take it.

"Hey, man, she was giving it to me!" Deaq protested as Van ignored him as he opened it and quickly read it.

"You checked over the cams, right? And all the security stuff?" Roxie asked her face serious and her eyes hinting at worry. Van looked up as Deaq thought over his reply and what he had discovered.

"Yes, I did." His brow crinkled in worry. "I found a bug in one of the cams, but that was it. I looked over the wirings and everything I could think of, but it was all clean."

"Then how does he know that Roxie's gonna see her Mum?" Van asked as he handed the letter to Deaq to read.

"We did talk about it on the roof. Maybe that's how he knew." Roxie commented and Van groaned as he remembered and leaned back in the chair.

"Remind me never to talk to you about important stuff where he can hear us." He said ruefully. "I'm sorry, Roxie. But I think we can't see your mum now. He knows you want to go see her and he has been too good at tracking you lately."

"I know." Roxie pouted. "I'll just work on catching him faster so I can see her later. I can figure out the pictures without my scrapbook, it just would've made my job quicker and easier if I had it."

"Hey, don't look so down." Deaq chucked her under her chin and she gave him a little smile. "We'll figure something out. It just won't happen as quickly as you hoped."

"Thanks, Deaq."

* * *

"The King found out about your little talk with Roxie about her mom." Billie stated as she leaned back in her chair. "And you were talking about that on the roof where it was unsecured." 

"Billie, I know, don't rub it in any deeper." Van said, raising his hands as if to ward off any more of what his boss might say.

"You don't get it, Van, how many times have you talked about stuff in places that haven't been secured since you started guarding Roxie?" Billie asked sharply and watched as he opened his mouth, then closed it as he reflected, there was the time in the coffee shop, and the... He realized with a sinking feeling, it was more than a few times and knew it showed on his face.

"See? You might be the link that the King was using to get all that information because you didn't have the smarts to shut up." She finished angrily. Van rubbed the bridge of his nose as he thought about his actions since it began.

"I'm sorry, Billie." He said finally and she seemed a bit mollified by how sincerely sorry he seemed. "I'll be careful this time."

"You better, because there isn't gonna be a next time, Van." She warned him. "If I find out that the King got some information because you were off shooting your mouth, I'm going to put you on probation and you're off the case."

"Billie!" Van protested and stood up and leaned across her desk; she stood up too and planted her hands firmly on her desk as she leaned forward aggressively into his face, but he refused to back down.

"No, Van. I'm serious. You almost cost us this case and maybe even Roxie's life. She could've died, Van." At her words, he seemed to almost wilt as he stepped back away from the desk. He sighed as he turned away from her and crossed his arms.

"I want you to go back to Roxie's apartment and for now on, exercise a little discretion." Billie said more softly and less heatedly. He nodded and left. She sighed frustrated as she sank back into her chair.

"You were kinda hard on him." Deaq said softly from where he was leaning against the doorframe. She looked up at him slightly surprised; she hadn't realized that he was there at all.

"You know what could've happened, Deaq." Billie said and he shrugged.

"But it didn't. Roxie's fine and we have a lead on the King." He counter-argued.

"But he needed to learn to his lesson."

"You could've been less cruel to him. Is Daniel bothering you?"

"Deaq!" Billie yelled at him and stood up, her eyes flashing. He held up his hand and stepped back from her. "I'll go now. But maybe it's time to start things in motion." He advised and walked down towards the basketball court. She watched him go and exhaled heavily as she sat down and opened the case folder to distract her self from problems that she didn't want to worry about right then.

* * *

Make me walk, make me talk, do whatever you please  
I can act like a star, I can beg on my knees  
Come jump in, bimbo friend, let us do it again,  
hit the town, fool around, let's go party  
You can touch, you can play, if you say: "I'm always yours"  
You can touch, you can play, if you say: "I'm always yours"

Come on Barbie, let's go party...


	5. Chpt 4

Sorry this chapter was late, but I'm glad I took the week off, it allowed me to return to this story with a fresher mind, and a less peeved Muse!

Word to the wise, Muse thought it would be funny, honeys, (sorry, been listening to Abba all week) if I use some swear words in this chapter. There is only a couple of them, so it shouldn't be a big deal. They are the worser words though.

* * *

_I have a dream, a fantasy_

_To help me through reality_

_And my destination makes it worth the while_

_Pushing through the darkness still another mile_

_I believe in angels_

_Something good in everything I see_

_I believe in angels_

_When I know the time is right for me_

_I'll cross the stream – I have a dream_

_I'll cross the stream – I have a dream_

Abba -'I Have a Dream'

* * *

Deaq was grinning like a fool as he danced; he had found a chocolate colored woman dressed in gold who had sensual moves that were giving him ideas of the sort that shouldn't be acted on while on the dance floor. Her glittering cat eyes held a knowing air, as if she what kind effect she was having on him as she slid against him. 

"Whoo, girl." Deaq grinned down at her, "You sure know how to dance."

"Thanks, a friend taught me a thing or two." She replied, her lips curving in a smile. "Why don't you stop smiling like a fool and buy me something to drink?" She said coyly, smiling up at him so that he didn't feel insulted.

"Your wish is my command, Stella." Deaq vowed, giving her a bow before leading her off the dance floor to the bar. He looked around a bit and noticed that Billie was still dancing with Daniel, but still in sight if he watched in from the mirror behind the bartender.

"Who you're looking for?" Stella asked him, noticing how he had looked around. He looked down at her faintly surprised and gave her a smile. "What? Oh, nobody."

She gave him a skeptical smile, but didn't press any further as she accepted her shot glass from the bartender and with a smile, tossed the drink back and then asked for a martini.

They have been softly talking to each other when Stella looked up and focused on somebody behind Deaq. "Deaq, there's a white guy coming our way. I think he wants to talk to you." She told him, her brow furrowing. Deaq gave her a cocky, but reassuring smile as he turned around and nearly dropped his drink when he realized it was Daniel now standing right in front of him.

"Which one are you, Van or Deaq?" Daniel asked almost friendly except for an undercurrent of danger. Deaq's eyes flickered to where he came from and saw Billie looking pissed as she sat at a table, watching them with her arms crossed.

"What, man?" Deaq asked to buy some time and Daniel's eyes darkened, but his pleasant face didn't lessen at all, if at all, a smile grew instead, that reminded Deaq the smile of a predator read to attack.

"You're Deaq, right? You look like a Deaq. I think you know who I am." Daniel said in a friendly like way as he sat down on a stool next to Deaq. He reached across the bar to shake Stella's hand. "Hi, I'm Daniel, I'm dating Deaq's boss."

"Oh, I'm Stella." She replied, her eyes darting between the two men's faces, her own confused and unnerved. "Deaq, honey, I gotta go to the little girls' room, alright?" She got up, gave him a swift kiss on the cheek, disappearing into the crowd before Deaq could protest or even react.

"Oh, I'm sorry; did I make your mistress mad?" Daniel asked charmingly, but it was no longer friendly at all. "'Cause you made me mad. I don't like the idea of being watched while I'm with my girlfriend, your boss or not. What kind of job are you pulling?" He asked in a low sharp whisper, jabbing a finger in Deaq's chest for emphasis.

"Back off, man." Deaq retorted, swatting Daniel's hand away. "We just happen to like the same clubs. My being here has nothing to do with a job, just with a fine young woman you just scared away."

"I just might've believed that but for one nagging little thing. Every time I've gone out with Billie, I've seen you. No matter where we go, I see you." Daniel's eyes burned at Deaq with anger and something about his mannerisms rang a bell in Deaq's head but he couldn't come up with what it was.

"Look, man, I can't help it if you're paranoid, but leave me and Stella out of this shit." Deaq returned just as heated with anger and finished his drink in one swallow and walked away, leaving Daniel seething on the bar stool.

Deaq looked around for the ladies room, hoping to wait nearby and see if Stella would reappear. If not, he was gonna have to leave Billie to her devices and wits since his own cover was blown. He glanced quickly towards to Billie and saw her arguing furiously with Daniel before slapping him hard and huffing away with Daniel following her as they continued to argue, although it seemed that he was beseeching more than actually arguing with her now.

"Shit." Deaq muttered, realizing that it was time to disappear and Stella hasn't shown up and wasn't likely too. Besides, he didn't want to get caught by Daniel who was going to be very peeved with him. He muttered angrily under his breath as he stalked out the back exit, hoping to avoid Daniel.

"Deaq!" Stella screamed from behind him as Daniel punched at Deaq, catching him along the side of his face instead straight on. Deaq staggered to the side as his head reeled from the blow, he looked up just in time to see Daniel's fist coming down towards his face. He braced himself for the blow, but Stella jumped on the attacker's back and knocked him off balance, giving Deaq a chance to recover.

"Ah!" Stella cried out as Daniel threw her off his back into some garbage cans. Deaq saw red as he charged at the other man and knocked him to the ground where they rolled over and over, each trying to gain the upper hand as they pounded on each other.

"Stop it!" Stella screamed at the fighting men, then turned to run to the bar entrance and opened the door. "Help! Somebody help me!" She screamed inside and some people nearby caught notice of her and came to her assistance. A tall burly African-American took her arm gently as she tried to tell him what was happening, but noticed Deaq and Daniel fighting on the ground in the alley. He pushed her towards a woman and walked to the two men and grabbed each of them by their scruffs and lifted them to their feet, shaking them so hard that Stella could hear their teeth rattle.

"Now you tell me what you two bastards are doing, scaring a pretty lady like that." He rumbled deep down in his chest. Deaq peered up at him, one eye nearly swollen shut and blind from his blood from a cut on his eyebrow. Daniel just snorted and spitted out blood to the ground.

"Just expressing our opinions, sir." Deaq cheekily replied as he struggled to free himself from the giant's grasp.

"And now I'll express mine." He replied, giving them both a good shake until they started shouting for him to stop. "Now you boys go run on home and don't go scaring the girls again or I'll really give you a good shake." He threatened as he released them; Daniel scowled as he stumbled backwards before turning and leaving the alley at a slow stalk. Deaq just stood there wearily until Stella came to him.

"Aw, baby, look at you." She cooed as she gently looked over his battle wounds. The giant grinned as he walked back into the club, herding the curious spectators back in with him.

"Why don't I take you home?" Stella cooed as she put an arm around him and pulled him towards the parking lot. He grinned, even though it hurt because of the split lip, the evening wasn't a total lost after all, like he had feared.

* * *

"You didn't tell me you had a sister." Van groused from where he was sitting on the futon as Roxie came out of her room, still dressed in her pajamas and bathrobe as she made her way to the fridge. 

"By the way, Van, I have a sister." She retorted as she opened the fridge and looked around for something for breakfast. "What are you talking about anyway?" She asked as she stood up and poured herself a glass of milk. Van didn't say anything, just held up a scrapbook.

"You got my scrapbooks!" Roxie squealed, the milk and glass sitting forgotten on the counter as she ran and scrambled over the top of the futon to sit down next to him and grabbed a book. "Wait, how did you get them?" She asked, looking up at him measuring. "You didn't?"

"I did, I contacted your mom, explained certain details, not about the part that you're at risk." He said quickly, foretelling her question as she opened her mouth and she snapped it closed annoyed. "Anyway, we agreed to meet at a safe place away from everybody's homes and she sent your sister in her place." He groaned as he leaned back and clasped his hands over his face. Roxie laughed and poked him in the side.

"She tried to seduce you, didn't she?" She said, trying not to laugh, but failing. Suddenly she sat up straight and punched him in the side.

"Ow! What was that for?" Van complained as he clutched his sore side, glaring at her as she returned his look.

"Who the hell was here making sure that I was safe while you were off fucking around?" She asked him coldly and he could tell that she was really mad at him by the way she was suddenly swearing, she never swore unless she was truly peeved.

"Roxie! I made sure that you were safe, I had Deaq sneak in here and watch over the place." Van quickly defended himself, knowing that if he didn't come up with a good enough excuse, she'll proceed to try and beat him to a pulp and she was getting better.

"And why didn't you just send Deaq instead of going in person?" Roxie asked, changing her position so that she was now kneeling on the couch and got a firmer hold on her scrapbook and started to slowly raise it up.

"I'm sorry! I just needed to get away for a bit!" Van yelled as he covered his head for protection, but the expected blow didn't come. He lowered his arms cautiously to see that Roxie was staring at him with a strange, almost hurt look. She got up quickly and grabbed her books, then marched to her room. He ran after her, but she slammed the door in his face and he could hear the lock clicking in place.

"Roxie, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it that way!" He yelled at the door, his hands on it as he leaned against it as he listened for a reply.

_"Fuck off, bastard!"_ Roxie's reply could be heard faintly and he groaned and hit his head against her door and was rewarded with a thud that bounced his head off a good inch from the door before returning itto the door smartly. He rubbed his forehead ruefully as he walked away from her door and threw himself into the futon, mentally hitting himself.

"Smooth, really smooth." He muttered to himself as he noticed a scrapbook Roxie forgot to pick up. He picked it up and opened it, the cover page stated that it was her junior year scrapbook, and started to flip through it.

He found a picture of Roxie with two girls, one who he recognized from some dead Queen pictures, and a guy who had his arm around her in a familiar way standing in front of Hart Hall.

_Casey, Roxie, Lena & Rita. Fall quarter of Jr. year!_ He read the caption under the picture. It truly saddened him to see a picture of somebody so happy and hopeful, not knowing in the future that they would be killed by a serial murderer.

Meanwhile, while Van was looking through her junior year scrapbook, Roxie was sitting on her bed crying as she stared down at her scrapbooks, most of them opened haphazardly all over her bed as she stared down at the pictures of happier and more carefree times.

"I wanna go back." Roxie murmured softly to her self as she traced a finger over a group picture of her and the other people who had lived in her dorm. She moaned softly as she picked up a picture that had her and Rita Hoffman being silly, they were wearing pink feather boas and tiaras as they posed on a pink high heel shoe.

She quickly reached behind her and grabbed a pillow and stifled her sobs into it so that Van couldn't hear her until her sorrow turned to anger.

"I'll show you, Van. You wanna get away from here? Then I'll just have to fix that and _make_ you go away." She muttered angrily as she lay on her stomach on the bed so that she could look under it and grabbed a box she had shoved under there. She brought the box up onto her bed and upturned it, spilling all the pictures of the dead queens across the scrapbooks and cover.

She picked up her stereo remote and hit play and was please to note that it was one of her more moodier and depressing CDs, one she knew Van hated as she turned the volume up so loud she was sure he could hear it just fine. She then pushed through the pictures until she found one that looked remotely familiar and began to try and identify the queens that the cops were unable to identify, fighting back the fear of finding an old friend dead.

* * *

"Deaq!" Billie yelled as she stormed into the Candy Store the morning after her first fight with Daniel and she threw her purse as hard as she could into the red couch. Her voice echoed through the room eerily and she fumed when she realized that he wasn't there. She stalked to her office and sat down with a huff and started typing at the keys so hard and fast that they sounded like machine gunfire. 

A couple hours later, Deaq walked into the place on Cloud Nine, he now had glorious bruises on his face and most of his exposed skin and he still can't see out of one eye and a rib that kept reminding him of last night. But he had spent the rest of that night with a fine woman who tended to him in ways that made him feel warm in all the right places just thinking about it.

He jogged up to where Billie was working and when he saw her staring angrily focused at her computer he did a quick 180 turn to escape before she caught notice of him and it was too late.

"DEAQ!" Billie fairly roared and he froze, groaning about his bad luck, he turned around slowly, careful to wipe away all signs of his elation so that all remained was emotionless.

"Deaq! What happened to you?" Billie exclaimed in concern, her earlier rage forgotten in the face of Deaq's more obvious problems.

"I expressed an opinion with someone." He glibly replied, reluctant to tell her who did the damage since he had never seen her happier with someone. "Don't worry about me, Billie; I had a good woman take care of me." He said, waving a hand dismissively. Billie ignored him as she came around the desk to get a better look at his battle wounds.

"You need stitches in the one over your eye, Deaq." She informed him matter-of-factly and he looked frantic for a moment as he looked around for a mirror, but stopped when she laughed at him.

"You an evil woman, Billie." He said ruefully as she smiled wickedly at him. "How do you feel?" He asked and mentally kicked himself when she got that tight angry look as she remembered what she was mad about.

"I don't know what the hell is up with Daniel, but he has been starting to pry more and more into my life and demand more from me." Billie ranted as she started stalking back and forth, gesturing angrily.

"He is your boyfriend and you do start sharing more of yourself the longer you're together." Deaq pointed out reluctantly, he really didn't want to encourage her relationship with Daniel after what happened between him, but he realized that there were some things about it that may need to be resolved or figured out. "Maybe you're holding too much of yourself back, forcing him to fight to know more about you."

"When did you get all Oprah?" Billie asked surprised.

"Stella likes Oprah."

"YOU TALKED TO YOUR GIRLFRIEND ABOUT ME!" Billie roared at him.

"Well, yeah." Deaq admitted, realizing that maybe he should've kept his mouth shut about that. "But I didn't say anything about what we do and our case."

"You better not have, after I read Van the riot act!" Billie told him angrily as she sat down at her desk and glared at him. Deaq winced at the memory, but chose to not say anything. Billie looked like she wanted to grind her teeth, but thankfully refrained.

"How's Roxie and Van doing?" She chose to ask tenslyinstead and Deaq jumped on that, he was relieved at the change of subject.

"Last I checked in on them, they were doing fine. Roxie was still asleep, so I talked to Van." Deaq reported as he sat down, Billie nodded, obviously waiting for him to elaborate more.

"Uh, he says that they might be getting closer to identifying the queens that we couldn't identify. Roxie seems to be in high spirits since the King hasn't been doing anything for the last week. And then the same ol' same ol'." Deaq supplied for her and she nodded as she thought it over.

"Is he still teaching her how to defend herself?" Billie asked as she laced her fingers as she propped her elbows on her desk.

"Yep, she's picking it up really fast, but then again, she was in karate for a couple quarters during college." Deaq said with a grin. "She's getting better at whipping his ass."

"Good." She replied with a chuckle. "We need her to be able to defend herself if she gets in a situation we can't help her with. So who's Stella anyway? She must be some woman if you're getting advice about your boss from her." She leaned forward with a wicked glint her eye and he groaned, time for twenty questions into his love life.

"Just some fine chocolate woman I met at the bar two nights ago and we've been going together when I go the clubs to watch your back. Helps with my cover." Deaq said, rolling his eyes upward in what was suppose to be a 'whatever' look, but instead it got dreamy. Billie grinned, she saw right through his act.

"Sure, Deaq." She replied.

* * *

Van was sitting on the futon watching TV, but not really paying attention to what was on due to his frustration. It did registered at the back of his mind that it was _Desperate Housewives_, but he couldn't muster up the energy to change it and he became engrossed in it instead. 

He had spent the day trying to coax Roxie from her room, but she still yelled profanities back at him behind a locked door. He thought for sure that she would come out when he started cooking dinner, sauté shrimps and mushrooms with lemon, just the way she liked. But when he knocked on her door with a plate, he was rewarded with where she thought he should put it and he didn't particularly like it.

"Fine, stay in there and sulk." He muttered to himself as he pushed himself up off the futon and turned the TV off. "See if I care." He resisted the urge to kick her door as he went by and walked into the bathroom where he prepared for bed.

Roxie was far away from the world at that time, she was sound asleep amid the scattered pictures and albums. Her time was spent all day looking over each and every picture to see if she could identify them and crying when she found a face she knew and remembering the events she had with that woman. But more often than not, she looked upon strange faces and felt pity for them and their families and friends who don't know what happened to them.

The curtains fluttered from the open window and a shadow moved to close the window when she stirred from the cold breeze. The shadow made his way to her side and began to carefully pick up the pictures and albums, stacking them off out of the way.

"Jester." The shadow hoarsely whispered as he brushed a lock of unruly hair from her face and she sighed again.

"Hm?" Roxie murmured softly, still wooed by Morpheus, the dream god, as she snuggled deeper into her pillows. The King leaned forward until his lips were barely brushing her ear.

"Wake up, Jester." He whispered more loudly and her eyes slowly opened. Roxie looked around the room a bit dazed when she realized that she was no longer alone.

"Va-mmph!" She tried to scream, but he grabbed her and covered her mouth so that all she could do was struggle uselessly.

"Ah-ah, my Jester." He warned her in a hoarse whisper. "I don't want you calling for your knave, not while I have you."

Roxie stared back at him, his face still covered by his mask as she started to tremble from fear. He pulled her up so that she was now sitting and brought his face close to hers.

"You will not call for your knave and you will be meek." He ordered her, and at her nod, removed his hand away from her mouth, but still had a firm grasp around her waist so that she couldn't try and escape. She let lose a frightened squeak, but didn't make a single sound.

"Very good, Jester." He praised her, still speaking in the soft hoarse whisper to her. "Now I have something for you." With his free hand, he reached down towards the foot of the bed and picked up a present wrapped in black with red satin ribbons. Roxie hesitated as she took it from him when he offered it, her eyes darting up to his, panicky.

"W-what is it?" She asked shakily and he chuckled as he brought his face close to her neck so that she could feel his breath upon her skin.

"Open it." He whispered and she whimpered slightly as she tried to cringe away from him, but started to carefully untie the bow and slid a finger along the fold where the paper was taped together. The paper fell away to reveal a plain wooden box, but she stopped, quaking. He picked up one of her hands and placed it on the top of the box, just above the detailed latch.

"Open it." A hoarse whisper in her ear and she sobbed, shaking her head in mute denial. "I-I can't." She whispered softly to him. "I'm a-afraid."

"You are safe tonight, Jester." He promised her quietly and she slowly ran her fingers along the top of the box until they came to the clasp and she lifted it up, but stopped from opening the lid.

"Open it!" He whispered harshly and she flinched, opening the box quickly, but her eyes were closed as she took a deep, steadying breath. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked down into the box.

"No!" She gasped, covering her mouth as she stared at its contents.

"You are mine forever, Jester." The King left with a parting hoarse whisper through the window, but she didn't respond even as his burning heat left her side or the freezing breath of air from the open window. Instead, she stared down into the box, and then she began to sob helplessly and quietly as she turned away from it.

"Lord, help me..."

* * *

_I have a dream, a song to sing_

_To help me cope with anything_

_If you see the wonder of a fairy tale_

_You can take the future even if you fail_

_I believe in angels_

_Something good in everything I see_

_I believe in angels_

_When I know the time is right for me_

_I'll cross the stream – I have a dream_

_I'll cross the stream – I have a dream..._


End file.
